You mentioned: with 6” casing I can put a 4” shroud on the pump, which I think is very important for the longevity of the pump/motor. So, if I do go with the 6 inch well, it appears I need a shroud for my pump. The well digger did not mention anything about this. Where do you get this item? And how is it installed?

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I just make them from a short piece of 4", 100#, sewer pipe. Cut three pie shape wedges out of the top. Use a 4.5" hose clamp around the wedges that are left to tighten it to the pump. Then tape over any cracks with good electrical tape. Here is a video of installing a shroud, it is just on a larger pump.

As a driller and pump installer, I agree with all the benefits of a 6" well that valveman mentioned, however in your case if it's twice as much, I don't see the real advantage to you. You can't shrourd a 4" pump in a 4" well, and you can in a 6, but you only really need a shroud if when you have a top feeding well. You won't have a top feeding well, assuming you don't hire an idiot who puts the pump in the screen. On residential, we always install 4.5" casing, which gives you a nice little extra wiggle room for the pump. As far as your thoughts on water volume, that is more function of the type of formation, not the screen diameter.

As a driller and pump installer, I agree with all the benefits of a 6" well that valveman mentioned, however in your case if it's twice as much, I don't see the real advantage to you. You can't shrourd a 4" pump in a 4" well, and you can in a 6, but you only really need a shroud if when you have a top feeding well. You won't have a top feeding well, assuming you don't hire an idiot who puts the pump in the screen. On residential, we always install 4.5" casing, which gives you a nice little extra wiggle room for the pump. As far as your thoughts on water volume, that is more function of the type of formation, not the screen diameter.

After much consideration, I have decided on the 4 inch well for our irrigation system. The 6 inch well is just too much money and doesn't appear it can be justified.

As VA stated, this will be a bottom feeding well and is what my driller has also stated. He is going to do one additional item in an effort to get the most GPM he can. He anticipates going through one if not two SMALL "acquifers" before he gets back into the main acquifer that most folks around here are now using. When he goes to set his casing, he will add screen to the sections where he has found water ......... no matter how small the stream. This will allow additional water into the casing. Naturally, he will have to gravel pack more this way, but he seems to feel this will be good for me in the end.

Sounds like a good idea....I'd love to hear how it turns out...ie...total depth, screened intervals, amount of gravel pack, static and pumping water levels... (if that's not too much to ask)! Good luck.

VAWellDriller had asked that I let everyone know how things turned out with the new well.

1- Our 35 year old 4" well was 138 feet deep with the pump ending up at 137 feet just a few weeks back (the pump hung at 132 feet for years). The well was beginning to run dry using it with our irrigation system - only 5.5 GPM with sand
The new 4" well is 151 feet deep with pump set at 146 feet - getting 11 GPM with no sand or problems ....... they drilled until they hit rock.
2- Old well had static water level of 117 feet. New well has the same.
3- Old well had 40 feet of strainer and gravel packed. New well has the same. The used approximately two full 55 gallon drums of gravel for the new well.
4- While running, water level on old well would drop to about 136 feet as long as I did NOT pump more thann 5.5 GPM. Of course, this was not always the case. In years past, the well would supply all the water we could use.
While running, water level on new well drops to about 129 feet while pumping 10 GPM. As info: I did install a 10 GPM rated Dole Valve on the new well system.
5- Obviously, the two wells are in the same aquifer. I am assuming that since the new well goes all the way to rock, the extra depth is what has helped. It's a shame the one drilled 35 years ago didn't go down the extra 13 feet. As info: the two wells are only 35 feet apart.
6- While boring the well, there was no sign of water until they reached a depth of approximately 105 feet.

5- Obviously, the two wells are in the same aquifer. I am assuming that since the new well goes all the way to rock, the extra depth is what has helped. It's a shame the one drilled 35 years ago didn't go down the extra 13 feet. As info: the two wells are only 35 feet apart.

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The depth of the bedrock formation could very well vary by that much over 35 feet. My guess is the old well did go to bedrock. Glacial till will leave more gravel in low spots, less in high spots. Two wells drilled on the same property could conceivably have that much difference.

My mud well has only a 5 foot layer of sand/gravel above the bedrock. It has no screened casing, just an open bottom with some gravel tossed in.

So far so good ....... the new water well is doing its job. I do think the extra depth is what was really needed. We have been in a drough for the past several years. But, I can't say that for this year. Since June, right here at our house, we have had 20.1 inches of rain. And, I'm not fussing!

1- The total cost of the well was $3,050.00 - This cost included the permit, drilling (151 feet), gravel packing, development, grouting, casing & 40 feet of strainer.
2- Since I had just recently purchased a new 1 HP F&W pump, I did not need one.
3- They did install my pump and verified all was doing as expected. I furnished the required wire.

Don't bet on it. Well drillers are notorious for Drilling a new hole. First they refuse to go down the old hole, saying they don't want to break a bit, Then when you have a new 150 feet they want to go further saying it would be better. The end results are usually in the tune of many several grand. Our well is 120 feet deep, we do not use a submersible but a jet pump, subs are fine for deep wells and I could never figure out why someone would put one on a shallow well. Sand settles in the bottom of the wells naturally and ours has had it coming out for the last 20 years that I am aware of. It will not kill you, it might settle in the bottom of your hot water heater, clog your sink faucet screen but you are not running out of water because it has sand in it. They certainly CAN drill through rock. If you want to spend money on your well, replace the sub with a jet and blow it out for 300$.

There are several reasons for new wells
1 you don't know what is the old one, like small small sledge hammer heads, pipe wrenches, broken bits, lost drill tools.....
2 there may not be enough casing in the old one
3 setting up and running in the tools only to find the hole is under size or crooked
4 giving the customer the bill for any of the above and then telling him he needs a new well anyway

Yeah I can't understand why someone wouldn't want to have a noisy, inefficient jet pump either... those new fangled submersibles are such a pain in the butt to prime